Amanda, Toy Engineer: Real Women in STEAM

by Aubre Andrus

Overview

The career book series you wish you had as a kid.

Introduce kids ages 8 to 12 to a real woman in a ridiculously fun STEM career that could change their future while inspiring curiosity and confidence in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.

Part true-story biography, part STEM activity book, AMANDA, TOY ENGINEER celebrates the story of Amanda, a real woman in engineering who gets to play with toys every day-it's her job! Amanda believes you can make the impossible possible one step at a time.

AMANDA, TOY ENGINEER includes:

FEMALE ROLE MODEL: In short chapters and a fun narrative, young readers learn how Amanda grew from a curious kid into a confident mechanical engineer.

FUN FACTS: ​​​​​​​Readers are introduced to engineering basics and how problem solving, creativity, and design come together to make the impossible possible.

STEAM ACTIVITIES: Kids complete hands-on STEAM activities like how to engineer their very own toy idea which flexes their innovation and inventor muscles.

"Amanda, Toy Engineer is an informative, fun, and friendly insider's look at what goes into toy design.... " - Publisher's Weekly

Why do female career role models in STEM matter? Women make up just 27% of the STEM workforce while less than 15% of engineers are women. STEM careers have higher salaries and higher rates of employment while tackling some of the world's most pressing issues, which are currently lacking a female perspective.

Welcome all kids into the world of STEM with The Look Up Series. Celebrate female role models by sharing extraordinary women's stories and career paths with a side of some serious girl power. These real-life stories feature not famous women, but real women who can become your kid's childhood heroes. Let's get to work with The Look Up Series!

Collect all five books in The Look Up Series, winner of the Best Nonfiction Book Series from the Moonbeam Children's Book Awards and written by award-winning American Girl author Aubre Andrus:

Amanda, Toy Engineer

Zi, Video Game Developer

Dr. Maya, Ice Cream Scientist

Angella, Beauty Chemist

Tracey, Theme Park Designer



Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781639460014
Publisher:	Adjective Animal Publishing
Publication date:	09/14/2021
Series:	Look Up , #1
Pages:	62
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.31(d)
Lexile:	730L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Aubre Andrus is an award-winning children's book author with dozens of books published by American Girl, National Geographic Kids, Lonely Planet Kids, Disney, Scholastic, and more. Her titles encourage kids to be kind and be curious. She cherished her time spent as an editor at American Girl magazine, and is committed to writing books that empower girls and inspire them to become the leaders of tomorrow. Aubre received her degree in journalism and film from the University of Wisconsin. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter. Visit www.aubreandrus.com for more information on school visits or find her on social media @aubreandrus.

Editorial Reviews

2021-08-31
A nonfiction children’s book offers a detailed profile of a toy engineer.

The narration in Amanda Bright’s voice explains to young readers that “anything you can touch has been worked on by an engineer.” This includes toys—which are first dreamed up by designers and then presented to engineers, who must decide how to make ideas into real (and profitable) playthings. Kids who dream of working on making “the impossible possible” will enjoy descriptions of how teams of engineers consider questions of safety, test toys out on young audiences, and create prototypes and production models before a company orders factories to make the finished object. The “Around the World” chapter describes how Amanda’s job involves traveling to different places that manufacture various kinds of toys, and a map labels countries relevant to toy production (“Doll clothing is often sewn in Indonesia where beautiful fabrics are found”). Factory workers’ conditions, pollution, and plastic waste are not mentioned. Interviews with Amanda, presented with Moore’s photographs of the White engineer and eye-catching formatting, reveal her love of pets and running, her struggles with imposter syndrome, and her favorite food (khao soi). A short narrative of Amanda’s self-advocacy and hard work through high school and university shows possible paths for children who may wish to become engineers, though Andrus does not address systemic discrimination. Amanda notes that she adores science and math and was also motivated by her family’s lack of money to find a stable, well-paying job. In this first installment of a series highlighting women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, activities invite kids to inspect their beloved toys. They are urged to think about what materials were needed for the toys’ creation and how to improve them and to ponder their favorite ways to play. Further sections prompt reflective journaling: What goals are you determined to achieve? When have you felt brave? Young science enthusiasts will find intriguing details about how objects are produced. The work also encourages readers to plan their own future contributions.

A captivating account about an engineer that’s information-packed and personal.

Kirkus Reviews